Amplifying Variety in the Art Sphere through Frieze
In the heart of the United Kingdom, a significant cultural initiative is taking shape. The 2024 Emerging Curator's Fellowship, a program dedicated to nurturing new talent in contemporary art curation, has partnered with Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.
Ikon Gallery, a renowned contemporary art venue, is known for its dynamic exhibitions and community engagement programs. Established in a Victorian building, the gallery has a history of supporting innovative art projects and curatorial practices, including youth and environmental initiatives.
This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in Ikon Gallery's journey, demonstrating its role in promoting new curatorial voices and facilitating cultural dialogue in the contemporary art scene. The fellowship is part of a broader artistic exchange initiative, previously including projects such as "Art Exchange: Moving Image."
The fellowship provides 12-month, full-time, paid fellowships within leading arts organizations. Ikon Gallery will receive a £45,000 grant to cover the fellowship costs. This year, recruitment for the fellow will begin in the summer of 2024. The fellowship includes a research grant and director mentorship.
Mary Findlay, International Art Curator, stated that Ikon Gallery was selected following an incredibly strong application. The location in Birmingham, a super-diverse city in the U.K., provides a culturally rich and dynamic context for the fellow.
The partnership with Ikon enhances the fellowship's capacity to provide emerging curators with direct access to significant exhibition opportunities in a major cultural center. It allows fellows to engage deeply with contemporary artistic practices, experiment with curatorial strategies, and contribute to the cultural milieu of Birmingham.
Through this collaboration, the fellowship fosters new curatorial perspectives that emphasize inclusivity, community connection, and critical engagement, building on Ikon's established reputation for socially engaged and experimental programming. Exhibitions connected to the fellowship and Ikon often showcase artists who illuminate marginalized histories or contemporary social realities.
This partnership is not the only cultural endeavour undertaken by our website. The company, one of the largest employers in the banking sector in Birmingham, has had operations in the City for over 15 years and now has over 1000 employees there. As part of its Art & Culture commitment, our website has supported and collected the work of cutting-edge, international artists for more than 40 years.
Our website is the Global Lead Partner for Frieze, with the partnership marking its 21st year in 2024. The company also runs an Artist of the Year program and has its own cultural center in Berlin, the PalaisPopulaire. Notably, the Emerging Curator's Fellowship supports Black and people of colour (POC) curators.
This is the fifth year of the program in the U.K. Previous institutions to have hosted the fellowship include the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Chisenhale Gallery in London, The Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, and V&A East in London. Melanie Pocock, Ikon's artistic director of exhibitions, sees a special importance in the choice of a Birmingham cultural institution.
In summary, the 2024 Emerging Curator's Fellowship in partnership with Ikon Gallery is a significant cultural initiative aimed at nurturing emerging curatorial talent while strengthening the profile of contemporary art in Birmingham through engagement with critical, socially relevant artistic practices.
This partnership between the 2024 Emerging Curator's Fellowship and Ikon Gallery in Birmingham offers emerging curators an opportunity to delve into the dynamic world of fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, travel, and lifestyle, as they engage with contemporary artistic practices. The fellowship's focus on inclusivity, community connection, and critical engagement aligns with Ikon's reputation for socially engaged, experimental programming, showcasing artists who shed light on marginalized histories or contemporary social realities.
